Josh Southern discusses his recruitment

Brian Eldridge

07/12/2006

A familiar name that has been lost in all the hoopla surrounding the recruitment of power forwards Patrick Patterson and JJ Hickson is Joshua Southern. The burly 17 year old from Saginaw Michigan has steadily been working on his game.

At 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, Josh Southern is capable of holding his own with the big guys on the block. "I'm a good scorer inside," Southern stated. "I can also step out and make the 15 foot jumper." Southern is a superb rebounder, using his size and positioning skills to get on the glass. He pulled down a whopping 16 rebounds per game as a junior for Saginaw (MI) High School.

That should be music to the ears of the Kentucky staff who saw rebounding become a major problem for last season's team. Rebounding is traditionally a strength of Tubby Smith coached teams, but last year's version of the Wildcats only held a three rebound per game edge. "I could definitely fill in a hole for them," Southern said. "I would bring a post presence to the team, and I would provide rebounding," Southern said. They needed rebounding," he continued.

Josh sees himself as a power forward on the next level, and he's currently working on his ball handling and his explosiveness.

Southern recently competed at the Adidas camp in Suwanee. "I just played a role. I rebounded and played defense, because we had scorers on the team," Southern said. Southern seems to be a true team player, and one that could fit in nicely at any program. Southern holds a lengthy list, but has no leaders. He lists Boston College, Kentucky, Tennessee, Miami, Michigan and Michigan State as his favorites. He's already taken unofficial visits to Kentucky, Michigan, and Boston College. Florida has inquired about his services recently as well.

"I hope to have my decision made in late November. I want to take all my visits and sit down and decide which school is best for me," Southern stated.

Next up for Josh is an AAU tournament in South Bend, at Notre Dame. He will also play in the Reebok Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas.

Southern is currently rated the number 77 prospect in the nation according to Scout.com.